Today's Current Affairs-13th August 2022

INTERNATIONAL

IAF contingent leaves for Malaysia to participate in military drills

• Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent left for Malaysia to participate in a four-day bilateral exercise ‘Udarashakti’ with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). The exercise will give an opportunity to the IAF contingent members to share and learn best practices with some of the best professionals from the RMAF, while also discussing mutual combat capabilities.
• The exercise will witness various aerial combat drills between the two Air Forces, the IAF said, adding that it would fortify the long-standing bond of friendship and enhance the avenues of defence cooperation between the two Air Forces, thereby augmenting security in the region. From the Indian Air Force Su-30, MKI and C-17 aircraft will be participating while the RMAF will be flying Su-30 MKM aircraft.

About Royal Malaysian Air Force(RMAF):

Fighter: Su-30MKM, F/A-18 Hornet

Helicopter: EC 725, Sikorsky UH-60, AW139

Motto(s): Sentiasa di Angkasa Raya; ("Always in the Sky")

Transport: Airbus A400M, C-130, CASA CN-235, 737

Trainer: BAE Hawk, MB-339, Pilatus PC-7

About Indian Airforce:

Founded: 08th October 1932

Headquarters: New Delhi

Chief of Air Staff: Vivek Ram Chaudhari

 NATIONAL

Tamil Nadu notifies fifth elephant reserve in Agasthyamalai landscape

• The proposal to designate 1,197.48 sq.km in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli as the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve was approved by the Union Environment Ministry. Tamil Nadu will oversee this Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve, which is the fifth elephant reserve. The forest department may be eligible for additional financing through the centrally sponsored Project Elephant after notifying the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve.
• Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve status will put more of an emphasis on protecting and conserving elephants as indicator animals that indicate a healthy ecosystem, even when the area is already protected as a reserve forest or wildlife sanctuary.
• About 300 of them are found alone on the southern side in the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve and Mahendragiri hill ranges in the Neyyar, Shendurney, and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, all located in Thiruvananthapuram Forest Division.

About Tamil Nadu:

Governor: R. N. Ravi

Capital: Chennai

Chief Minister: M. K. Stalin

 SPORTS

Tata Steel Chess India to Introduce Women’s Tournament in 4th Edition

• The 4th edition of the Tata Steel Chess India tournament will be held in Kolkata from November 29 to December 4, 2022. For the first time, a separate women’s section has been added in the tournament, which had only the Open section so far. Tata Steel Chess India (rapid and blitz) is one of the most important chess tournaments in India. Top Indian female players like Koneru Humpy, D Harika, and R Vaishali will compete in the maiden women’s edition.
• Top International Grandmasters, top Indian men and women Grandmasters, young Indian talents and Viswanathan Anand as the ambassador and advisor of the tournament will enrich this year’s competition. For the first time in the history of the game, the prize fund for both the men’s and women’s categories will be equal.

About Tata Steel Ltd:

Parent: Tata Group

Founded: 25 August 1907, Jamshedpur

Founder: Jamsetji Tata

Headquarters: Mumbai

Major Dhyanchand Stadium to Host Phase 1 of 1^st Khelo India Women's Hockey League U-16

• The first Khelo India Women’s Hockey League under-16 is scheduled to be held at the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in New Delhi from August 16 to 23, 2022. The Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-16) is yet another endeavour by the Khelo India’s Sports for Women component, which takes the most necessary steps to power in more female participation in a wide array of sports competitions. The support extends to not only giving grants but also helping in the proper organization and execution of the events.
• Phase 1 of the 1st Khelo India Women’s Hockey League (U-16) is scheduled from August 16 to 23 where a total of 16 teams across the country are participating. A total of 56 matches will be played in Phase 1 and over 300 players will compete.

 APPOINTMENTS & RESIGNATIONS

Rishabh Pant Appointed Brand Ambassador Of Uttarakhand State

• Uttarakhand government has appointed wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant as the ‘State Brand Ambassador’. Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami congratulated Rishabh Pant and praised him as one of the best cricketers and idols of youth. Rishabh Pant’s most recent game was seen in India’s T20 series against New Zealand in which the Indian cricket team claimed the title of the series with a 3-0 victory.
• Rishabh Pant was born on 4th October 1997. He is an Indian cricketer and plays the role of wicket-keeper and batter in the Indian cricket team. He was the vice-captain of the U-19 Indian cricket team for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016. He made his Twenty20 International debut in January 2017, his Test Debut in August 2018, and his One Day International debut in October 2018. Pant was named the ICC men’s emerging cricketer of the year in 2018 at ICC Awards.

About Uttarakhand:

Governor: Gurmit Singh

Chief Minister: Pushkar Singh Dhami

Capitals: Dehradun (Winter), Gairsain (Summer)

 IMPORTANT DAYS

International Lefthanders Day 2022: 13^th August

• International Lefthanders Day is observed on August 13 across the world. The day is observed to raise awareness about the lefty people’s experience with living in a right-hand dominant world. The day also spreads awareness on issues faced by left-handers, eg the importance of the special needs for left-handed children and the likelihood for left-handers to develop schizophrenia.
• The day aims to raise awareness about being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world. It celebrates left-handed people’s uniqueness and differences, a subset of humanity comprising seven to ten per cent of the world’s population.

 World Organ Donation Day 2022: 13^th August

• World Organ Donation Day is observed globally on the 13th of August. This day is observed to spread awareness about the importance of donating organs. It also plays a pivotal role in debunking various misconceptions about donating organs. Donating organs of the deceased like kidneys, heart, pancreas, eyes, lungs, etc can help save the lives of those who are facing chronic illnesses. However, it is important to ensure those who donate their organs do not suffer from HIV, cancer, or any heart disease.
• This year’s theme for World Organ Donation Day 2022 is “let’s pledge to donate organs and save lives”. The Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the need for donating organs and to thank donors for their life-saving contributions.

 AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Shashi Tharoor to receive France's highest civilian honour for his writings, speeches

• Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, set to be conferred with France’s highest civilian award Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur. The French government is honouring him for his writings and speeches and the French Ambassador here Emmanuel Lenain has written to Tharoor informing him about the award. In 2010, Tharoor had received a similar honour from the Spanish government, when the King of Spain had bestowed upon him the Encomienda de la Real Order Espanola de Carlos III.
• Shashi Tharoor is a two-term Lok Sabha MP representing the Thiruvananthapuram constituency and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.
• He has previously served as Minister of State for Human Resource Development and Minister of State for External Affairs in the erstwhile UPA government.

About France:

President: Emmanuel Macron 

Capital: Paris

Prime Minister: Élisabeth Borne

Bangladeshi architect Marina Tabassum becomes the first South Asian to win the Lisbon Triennale Lifetime Achievement Award

• Renowned Bangladeshi architect, researcher and educator Marina Tabassum became the first person from the global south and first south Asian to win the prestigious Lisbon Triennale Millennium bcp Lifetime Achievement Award. Announcing the award, the Lisbon Architecture Triennale jury praised Marina Tabassum for presenting an inspiring example of work with local communities that can have a positive impact across the globe even under the most adverse conditions.
• The International Jury for the award said that Marina Tabssum’s unique practice touches on the spiritual fundamentals of architecture. Driven by specific cultural and geographical context, her works address pressing contemporary issues, said the jury in their citation for the award. Her work shows how architects can challenge the climate crisis and bring about social change in an experimental, respectful and inspiring manner.

About Bangladesh:

Capital: Dhaka

Currency: Bangladeshi taka

President: Mohammad Abdul Hamid

Prime minister: Sheikh Hasina

BANKING AND ECONOMY

Retail inflation eases to 6.71% in July; IIP grows 12.3% in June

• Retail inflation softened to 6.71 per cent in July due to moderation in food prices but remained above the Reserve Bank’s comfort level of 6 per cent for the seventh consecutive month. With retail inflation continuing to remain high despite a fall in prices of vegetables and edible oils, among other commodities in July, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) might go for another rate hike in September.
• The Consumer Price Index (CPI) based retail inflation was at 7.01 per cent in June and 5.59 per cent in July 2021. It was above 7 per cent from April to June this fiscal. According to the data released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Friday, food inflation in July moderated to 6.75 per cent as against 7.75 per cent in June.
• India’s factory output, measured by the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), came in at 12.3% for the month of June, compared with 19.6% reported in May, the government data has showed. The coronavirus pandemic had weighed on Industrial production since March 2020, when it had contracted 18.7%.
• The manufacturing sector’s output grew 12.5% in June 2022. The mining output climbed 7.5%, and power generation increased 16.4% in June this year.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata

Founder: British Raj

Ownership: Ministry of Finance, Government of India

Jurisdiction: India

Governor: Shaktikanta Das

About National Statistical Office (NSO):

Parent department: Ministry of Statistics

Formed: July 12 2006

Headquarters: New Delhi

Autonomous Body executive: Prof. Bimal Kumar

RBI issues guidelines to regulate digital lending

• All digital loans must be disbursed and repaid through bank accounts of regulated entities only, without pass-through of loan service providers (LSPs) or other third parties, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said in its long-awaited guidelines for the segment.
• The guidelines, aimed at curbing rising malpractices in the digital lending ecosystem, follow the recommendations of a working group for digital lending, whose report was made public in November 2021. “The concerns primarily relate to the unbridled engagement of third parties, mis-selling, breach of data privacy, unfair business conduct, charging of exorbitant interest rates, and unethical recovery practices,” the RBI said in the final guidelines.
• RBI had constituted a ‘Working Group’ which has given its guidelines which are applicable for the first category of lenders. And these guidelines has been accepted by RBI and has become effective.

About Reserve Bank of India (RBI):

Founded: 1 April 1935, Kolkata

Founder: British Raj

Ownership: Ministry of Finance, Government of India

Jurisdiction: India

Governor: Shaktikanta Das